SEARCH teams have failed in a fresh bid to find the body of a teenage boy from Leigh who died with his father and brother in a boating accident last month.
The two-hour operation on Loch Ryan, Dumfries and Galloway, on Wednesday night coincided with the lowest tide of the year but the body of Steven Ridley, aged 15, from Leigh, was not recovered.
His father Shaun, aged 37, died while trying to save Steven and his younger brother Michael, aged 12, after the motorboat they were in capsized on July 12.
Michael and his father were still alive when they were pulled from the water by a lifeboat crew after drifting for up to five hours but hospital staff were unable to save them. The boys' grandfather Brian Ridley, aged 61, and family friend Harvey Haughton, aged 58, survived the accident by clinging to the upturned hull until they were spotted by a passing yacht.
Around 30 coastguards took advantage of the good weather when the operation was launched at 7pm.
Four lifeboats and eight search teams were involved including coastguard personnel from Girvan, Stranraer and Portpatrick.
Police had appealed for anyone who may have been a passenger on any ferries in the area around the time of the tragedy and who may have seen the motorboat capsizing to come forward.
Speaking after the operation, Det Insp Steven Carr of Dumfries and Galloway Police said: "The search, though extensive, proved fruitless.
"The coastguard will still carry out regular searches in an effort to try to trace any sign of Steven Ridley."
"If a similar opportunity were to arise for a similar exercise then it will be carried out."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article